Monsters in the Elevator is a family card game featuring quirky cooperation, sneaky math, and lots of cute monsters.

Your Elevator is fullof Monsters tryingto go to work.

If the Elevator getstoo heavy it breaksand everyone loses.

If the Elevator reachesthe 20th Floor withoutbreaking everyone wins!

HOW DO WE PLAY?

a) SIT in a circle: the center is the Elevator.

b) DEAL 3 Draw cards to each player.
These are usually kept secret, but families can decide how much they want to share.

c) STATE the Elevator Capacity:
50 x the number of players.
So capacity for 2 players is 100, for 3 players is 150, etc.

d) PLAY: Each Floor is a round of the game, with four STEPS: (1). Change the Floor, (2). Exits, (3). Entrances, and (4). Monster Count:

STEP 1: CHANGE THE FLOOR: Take the top Floor card and place it nearby to create the Current Floor pile, so we can see both the current floor and what is coming next.

Both of these monsters exit on the 3rd floor!

STEP 2: PERFORM EXITS: Check the conditions on the Current Floor and the Monster cards in the Elevator to see if any leave.

Which do you choose? The lighter Krawlzer, or heavier Mongo that gets off sooner? Or do you clear the elevator completely with an All Exit Action?

STEP 3: ENTRANCES: Each player chooses a card from their hand and places it face down. Count to 3 and all flip. If there are actions, play them! If an action changes the floor, wait until all other actions are applied and then skip Step 4 and do Exits on the new Floor.

NOTE: Exit conditions on Monster cards do not apply to the floor they enter.

STEP 4: DO THE MONSTER COUNT: Add up the monster weights. If the sum exceeds the Elevator capacity, BOOM, the elevator crashes, and everyone loses. If the sum is below capacity, deal a third card to each player and play the next round!

If your team makes it safely to the 20th floor, congratulations! You won! If your Elevator crashes, don't worry-- all the Monsters are fluffy, and they bounce.

ADVANCED PLAY: MIX-UP MODE!: Remove the 20th Floor card, shuffle the remaining 19 Floor cards, place the Floors deck face down with the 20th floor on the bottom, and play each round with no idea what is coming next!

FAQ:

Q: If you skip floors with the Going-Down Action cards, do you play those floors on the way back up?A: Yes, those skipped floors are played on the return up. (VERY useful in the advanced game).

Q:On the 6th, 12th, and 18th floors, what do you do if an Action is drawn?A: Shuffle those Actions back into the Draw deck and keep drawing until you can put a Monster in the Elevator.

Q:What is the order of operations if more than one Action is played on the same Floor?A: 1st the actions that effect 1 card, then the actions that effect 2 cards, then those that effect more cards, etc. Actions that Change the Floor are applied last.

Q:We played a change the floor caerd and skipped step 4. Do we each still get to draw third card?A: Yes! Always take a third card before choosing waht to put into the elevator on a new floor.

Q:Do players have to keep their cards secret? A: While the standard game encourages hands be kept secret, families can decide how much to share. Our house rule is my daughter is allowed to tell everyone to put down their heaviest monster when she wants to play an "All Monsters Exit" :).

Q:Can we play with more than 6 players? A: YES! Monsters in the Elevator scales really well for parties and classrooms. Simply raise the elevator capacity by 50 for each new player and deal them 3 cards. We have run games with 10-18 players without a hitch, excpt that the time to play increases as the Monster Count and group decisions take longer.

HOW DO I GET A COPY?
Monsters in the Elevator is currently available
through our page!